Earth Science Wind/Pressure/Weather WebQuest

Part 1. Air Masses

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_mass Find out what an air mass is.
a. What is an airmass?
An airmass is a volume of air that is characterized by its temperature and water vapor content
b. Explain the difference between a continental(c) air mass, and a maritime(m) air mass.
Continental is dry and maritime is moist
c. Explain the difference between a polar(P) air mass and a tropical(T) air mass.
Polar is cold and Tropical is warm
2. They describe an air mass by its Moisture content and Temperature, so each air mass has two letters. Name
each air mass and describe it by moisture content and temperature.
cP= Continental Polar- dry cold temp.
cT = Continental Tropical- dry warm temp.
mP = Maritime Polar- moist cold temp.

mT = Maritime Tropical- moist warm temp.

Using the map on the webpage, label each of the bubbles below.

mP
cP

cT
mT

a.

Three air masses affect Pennsylvanias weather the most. Name their air mass symbols and tell me
where they come from. cT-north, cP-south, & mP-southeast
2. Go to the website: http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_causes_high_pressure.htm to find out what
causes a high pressure air mass.
a. What causes an air mass to have a high pressure?
Air masses being cooled, from either a below or above from infared, which is the cooling of winter air
masses over land exceeds the warming of those air masses by sunlight
3. The website http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_causes_low_pressure.htm will help you answer the
following question:
a. What causes an air mass to have a low pressure?
When atmospheric circulations of air up and down remove a small amount of the atmosphere in a region

4. Look at this picture: http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/images/thermal2.GIF. Does air move

from high pressure to low, or low to high?
High to Low
Part 2. Global Winds
5. http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/wwhlpr/global_winds.rxml What are the Global Winds?
Polar Easterlies-60-90 degrees Latitude
Prevailing Westerlies-30-60 degrees latitude
Tropical Easterlies-0-30 degrees latitude
Label B L in the diagram below.

Polar Easterlies
Subpolar Low
Prevailing Westerlies
Subtropical High
Tropical Easterlies
Intertropical Convergence Zone
Tropical Easterlies
Subtropical High
Prevailing Westerlies
Subpolar Low
Polar Easterlies
Part 3. Coriolis Effect
6. The Coriolis Effect affects Earths winds. Read the information at this website to find out about the Coriolis
Effect: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/fw/crls.rxml . The video at the bottom will give you a
visual of the Coriolis Effect.
a. Click on the Pressure Gradient link. What is the direction of the net force between two pressure
systems?
From high pressure to low pressure.
b. Click on the High link. What is a High Pressure Center and what does it mean?
Where the pressure has been measured to be the highest relative to its surroundings. This means when
you move away from the high it decreases pressure.
c. In the video, why does the ball not roll straight across the merry-go-round?
Due to the rotation of the Earth against the rotation of the merry-go-round
d. How is the Earth similar to the merry-go-round? (look at the figure)
it rotates about an axis and is round

e. Wind is an object that is affected by the Coriolis Effect. What happens to winds in the Northern
Hemisphere as a results of the Coriolis Effect?
Theyre deflected to the right
7. Use the animation at the following website to help you find out how the Coriolis Effect affects wind:
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es1905/es1905page01.cfm .
a. Which way does the Coriolis Effect deflect wind in the Northern Hemisphere?
Northeast
Part 4. Pressure Centers and Weather
8. Go to the website listed here: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/wx/surface.rxml . Then, find the picture
that says Sea Level Pressure with IR satellite. Click on this figure to bring up a new window. Click on the
button that says Aminate. Choose 96 frames. Answer the following questions:
a. This map shows you isobars and cloud cover. Click on the? Help to explain what an isobar is.
A line on a map connecting points having the same atmospheric pressure at a given time or on average
over a given period
b. Look at the map and find Chicago. Between which two isobars is Chicago?
136 &132
c. Press Play on the window, and watch where the clouds travel. Do the clouds tend to be near High
pressure centers (H) or Low pressure centers?
High pressure centers
9. This website will help explain why High pressure centers usually mean good weather, and Low pressure
centers usually mean bad weather: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/tg/whighlow/whighlow.htm . Go here and
read to discover why this is true, and then answer the following questions:
a. Air descends (comes down) at High pressure areas. Why does descending air allow for clouds to
form?
As air descends, it warms and that creates clouds
b. Air ascends (goes up) at Low pressure areas. Why does ascending air not allow for clouds to form?
Air ascending is cool and cool unless its with warm cant form clouds
c. Use diagram to determine the direction of wind motion. What is the direction around a High pressure
system?
Its in a clockwise rotation
d. What is the direction around a Low pressure system?
Its counter clockwise
Part 5. Frontal Boundaries
10. This website will help you to understand a frontal boundary. Read the Introduction at the top and answer
the following questions. http://www.phschool.com/atschool/phsciexp/active_art/weather_fronts/
a. What is a weather front?
An area where two air masses with different densities and temperature collide but never mix
11. Play the Cold front animation and read the information above to answer the questions below.
a. Which air mass is doing the pushing? Cold
b. What forms when the warm air gets pushed up by the cold air? Clouds
c. What kind of clouds form at the frontal boundary? Cumulous

d. What weather is associated with this cloud type? rain

12. Play the Warm Front animation and answer the questions below.
a. Which air mass is doing the pushing? Warm
b. What forms when the warm air rides up over the cold air? Clouds
c. What kind of clouds form at this frontal boundary? Cumulous and cirrus
d. What kind of clouds are at the very front edge of this boundary? Cumulous
13. Below you will see on the weather map the symbol for a Cold Front is a Blue line with Triangles and a
Warm Front is a Red line with half-circles. Label the diagram to show where the cool, dry (cP) air mass and the
warm, moist (mT) air mass is in the picture.
a. Along which frontal boundary will thunderstorms
develop? Cold
b. Along which frontal boundary will all-day rain occur?
mT
cP

warm
c. Look at the wind arrows on the diagram, do they match
the direction of motion you determined in questions 9, d?
What direction is that? Yes, counter clockwise

14. What happens at a Stationary Front? Both cold and warm air masses collide but dont mix and they just stay
there
15. Search the internet to find out the weather map symbol for a Stationary Front and draw below.

16. Click on this website to see the Current Weather Map.

http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/currentweatherusnational/index_large.html
a. Where is a Cold Front occurring? NorthEast and MidWest
b. Where is a Warm Front occurring? Texas
c. What type of air mass are we currently in? Cold/Stationary